


How It Should Have Been

by ABookishSortOfLover (qwerty28274)



Series: Endgame Fix-It Fics [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Endgame Fix-It, Fix-It, Gen, M/M, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2020-02-27 10:16:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18737020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/qwerty28274/pseuds/ABookishSortOfLover
Summary: If you haven't seen the movie please don't read the rest of the summarySteve is grieving Tony's loss, and goes back in time to live the white picket fence life with his first love... right?





	How It Should Have Been

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! My name is Allie and I abhorred what they did to Steve and Peggy in Endgame, so I made it better. Peggy Carter deserved better, and so did Captain America's Ass.

_No._

It wasn't possible. She couldn't be seeing _that face._

Peggy hadn't seen that face since 1945, and she's stopped dreaming about it sometime around ‘57. It couldn't be him. It wasn't possible. He was _lost._ They hadn’t been able to find him, so it _couldn't be_ -

“Peggy?”

Howard's voice sounded from behind her, pulling her focus from a face that couldn't be there. “Howard.” She turned and greeted him with a kiss on the cheek. “How is your wife, darling?”

“Pregnant, but she's been that way for a few months, so she'll probably stay that way for a couple more.”

She felt her nose wrinkling in distaste. “You should be at home taking care of her.”

“Agent Carter, we've talked about this. There isn't anything that I can really _do_ to help Maria until that kid comes. I'm better off here.”

Peggy shook her head in disbelief but didn't push the issue. It was an argument she'd lost before and she would lose again. God forbid Howard's child inherit any of his pigheadedness; a child like that just might mean the end of the known world. “Was there something you needed, Howard?”

“I just wanted to check on my favourite founder of SHIELD. Can't I visit you every once in a while?”

She pinned him with an unimpressed look, eyebrow arched high.

Howard sighed. “Alright, fine. I blew up something in the lab again and I got kicked out until the fire goes out.”

_“Howard.”_

“I know, I know!” His hands flew up defensively. “In my defence-”

“You were bored?”

He scowled at her.

Peggy shook her head. “I'll have you know that I don't care about the nature of your visit, I have some very important work to do. Shoo! Go bother someone else, Howard, I've had quite enough of your shenanigans.”

“Aww, Peggy.” He placed a quick kiss on her cheek and flashed her a grin. “You love my shenanigans.”

“I do _not.”_

“Bye, Peggy.”

“Another time, Howard.” She shook her head as he left her office and sat down heavily. After seeing that face, perhaps some monotonous paperwork would do her some good.

\---  
“Agent Carter?”

She _froze._ This time the voice didn't belong to Howard, and it certainly didn't belong to any other person who should be on this base, but that didn't mean-

“Peggy.”

Her head whipped up to look at him and- no! He should be _dead!_ He should be frozen, at the bottom of an ocean, he should be any number of places, but he shouldn't be-

“Go away.”

Eyebrows furrowed and sky blue eyes gave her a wounded look that was heartachingly familiar. “What?”

“I said, go _away._ Whatever sort of ghost or spirit you are, you are _not_ my Captain Rogers, so if you would kindly _fuck off_ -”

“Language.”

Those blue eyes were sparkling with amusement now, and a hand reached out to touch her arm, but she couldn't-

“Peggy. I- it's _me_.”

“No, it isn't.” She could hear her own voice shaking as tears began to fill her eyes, but she couldn't stop them. She couldn't stop them just like she couldn't stop him from putting that _damn plane_ in the water and- “You aren't him. You're not real. He's gone.”

“No, I'm not. Well, I guess I kind of am, but I- let me start over.”

And those big blue eyes stared into her and when he gave her that hopeful smile, she just _couldn't._

“No.” She stood and wiped her eyes and shook her head, refusing to look at _whatever_ it was standing in front of her. “No.”

“Peggy.” He held a hand out to stop her, and it was warm and solid and _real._ Too real to be her imagination. “Please let me explain.”

\---

“Do you see why I came back?” He took one of her hands and his and squeezed it gently. “Peggy, I had to. It was over. We won, and I- I finally had the chance to come back to you. To- to give you that dance I promised you.”

She set her jaw against the stupidity of men, trying to wrap her mind around it all. “Steven Grant Rogers, do you have _any idea_ just how much of an _imbecile_ you are?!”

He jerked away as if he'd been burned, and she watched with some form of burning, satisfied, vengeance.

“What? Peggy, I-”

“No. I am _through_ with listening to you, Captain Rogers. It’s time you listened to me for a change. You are going to stand up, march that patriotic ass _back_ out that door,” she pointed, just in case he wasn't sure, “and go back to your own time. Is that understood?”

He opened his mouth to protest, and she nearly screamed.

“Absolutely not. Do you understand the ramifications of what you've done, Steven? You've just changed the entire course of history, that's what you've done. What do you imagine is going to happen if you show your face in this time, hmm? They’re making _comics_ about you Steve. Your face has been plastered over the media for decades. You're the soldier that we _lost._ You think that any life you could build with me here would be a peaceful one?”

“Peggy, I-”

“No, Steve. Do you know how long it's been since you put that thrice-damned plane in the ocean? Twenty-five years. Do you think it was easy for me to bounce back from that? No! It absolutely was not! But I _did._ Steve… I love you.”

His head shot up, eyes full of hope.

“I love you, but I grieved you. You aren't supposed to _be_ here, Steve. That's not what history says, and I… I've made my peace with it. You should have too. I-”

“But, Peggy. You can't-”

“Steve. How long has it been since you woke up from the ice?”

“What? I-”

_“Steve.”_

He sighed heavily. “Thirteen years.”

“And in those thirteen years, you're telling me that you had no one? No one that you would consider family? No one you loved?”

“Of course not. I just-”

“You need to let me go.”

“W- what?” He choked out, eyes wide and hurt.

“Darling,” she laid a gentle hand over his, “do give me some credit. I can read between the lines. I won't ask you when I die, by the time I get there I'll likely have forgotten anyway. I'm gone, Steve. Holding onto me like this, it isn't healthy.”

“But I-”

“No. Steve, for your sake and mine, go back to your own time. Be with the rest of the people that you love. Leave an old woman in the past.”

“You _aren't_ old, Peggy.”

She smiled wistfully. “Steve. It’s 1970. I’m forty-nine. If I live to see you after this, I'll be even older then. Live your life, darling. I've already had mine.”

“Peggy-”

“Go on, soldier. Don't think I've forgotten that you still owe me a dance.”

The smile that he gave her was watery, and it nearly broke her heart, but it was for the best. This wasn't her Steve. He'd been through so much more than she knew, and he was grasping at straws after the loss of a friend. She wished that she could do more for him.

“Tell your man that I said hello.”

“My-?”

“Sergeant Barnes. Don't think that I missed that detail, Captain. That man loves you. Don't abandon him like this.”

He let out a small snort and wiped at his eyes. “I wouldn't. Not ever.”

“And yet you're sitting in my office instead of being with him.”

His grin was sheepish as he leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek. “Thank you, Peggy. You're my best girl, you know that?”

“Of course. Now go on. If I see you in here again I'll be _very_ disappointed in you.”

“I wouldn't dare. Goodbye, Agent Carter.”

“Another time, Captain Rogers.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!! If you liked it, please fuel my zombie writer brain with kudos and comments!
> 
> If you wanna talk about fandom things (or anything, really) come give me a nudge on my Tumblr! It's thatwritxrgirl


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